Saskatchewan government votes down bill for paid sick leave

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Party government voted down an NDP bill that would have provided 10 days of paid sick leave for workers in the province.

The NDP had invited workers to the Legislative gallery to watch the proceedings.

“If they’re going to be voting this bill down, then they’re going to have to do so with working people looking down at them from the galleries and holding them accountable,” the NDP’s Jennifer Bowes said ahead of the vote.

Bowes was the MLA who introduced the bill.

Labour Relations Minister Don Morgan indicated during Question Period that the government wouldn’t be supporting the bill. He told media afterward his government was already supporting workers through the upcoming minimum wage increase.

“So we’ll want to make sure that we don’t have too many other things that create an additional burden for employers as they come out of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” said Morgan.

The minister also said the increase will give workers some cushion.

“Instead of saying, ‘Oh, we’ll give you a day or two if you’re sick, we’re going to give you a raise to $15 an hour,’ ” said Morgan, referring to the increase in the minimum wage that’s to come in October of 2024.

Morgan pointed to things like employment insurance and a federal sick leave program that people can access if they need to.

For Bowes, the arguments around minimum wage don’t hold water.

“Of course, raising minimum wages is a positive development … but there’s other benefits that should be fundamental components of decent work for all people, including paid sick leave,” said Bowes.

Bowes said more than half of workers in Saskatchewan don’t have paid sick days, which is many more than are making minimum wage.

She also pointed to a study from the Centre for Future Work which found that implementing 10 days of paid sick leave in B.C. would only impact business profitability by 0.21 per cent.